World Screen

LOS ANGELES: Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane is teaming up with writer/producer Ann Druyan and astrophysicist Steven Soter for a 13-part docu-series based on Carl Sagan’s Cosmos, to premiere on FOX in 2013. Cosmos: A Space-Time Odyssey sees MacFarlane working …

LOS ANGELES/TORONTO: FX Canada is to be launched on November 1, following a deal between Rogers Media and FX Networks. FX Canada, a digital service, will offer FX original series, U.S. acquired movies and series, original Canadian programming and Canadian …

HONG KONG: The TRACE Sports HD channel is now available on AsiaSat 5 in the Asia Pacific. The channel launched August 1 on Hong Kong Broadband Network’s bbtv, with more carriage agreements in Asia to be announced soon. TRACE Sports …

BUCHAREST: TV Paprika, JimJam and MGM Channel have been added to Romtelecom’s Dolce platform in Romania following a deal with Chello Central Europe. Romtelecom is one of the largest providers of television services in Romania. The three channels are now …

BURBANK: ABC has revealed that the eighth season of Marc Cherry‘s Desperate Housewives will be its last, with the series ending in May 2012. ABC has said that the eighth and final season will be presented in a way that …

BUENOS AIRES: Telefe International has created a new business development division, to focus on increasing its product portfolio, with an eye toward new platforms and creating strategic alliances and co-productions. Sales executive Guillermo Borensztein will lead the new division, reporting …

NEW YORK: Elisabeth Murdoch has opted not to join the board of News Corporation as had been expected, telling the directors that it would be "inappropriate" to include her nomination at this time.  A statement from Viet Dinh, the chairman …

LOS ANGELES: Playboy Enterprises has appointed online adult-entertainment provider Manwin to serve as an operating partner for certain Playboy-branded digital and TV businesses under the label Playboy Plus Entertainment. Playboy Enterprises retains oversight for brand management under the new deal. …

LONDON/LOS ANGELES: The U.K.’s Tinopolis has purchased the U.S. production outfit BASE Productions, following on its recent acquisition of A. Smith & Co. BASE, founded by co-CEOs John Brenkus and Mickey Stern, has its own studio and production facilities in …

LONDON: The BBC has unveiled an updated version of its iPlayer designed for televisions, launching initially on Sony’s PlayStation 3 console. The revamped BBC iPlayer features a TV-friendly design that has been simplified to make using the service just as easy …